The Pastors Ministry Blog

Thom S. Rainer  Founder/CEO Church Answers

We have a continuous feedback loop from church leaders. Through Church Answers, social media, our podcast, and our blog, we read thousands of comments each week. I am encouraged by some of the things I am seeing.

To be clear, I am not making light of the devastating impact of COVID-19 on many lives and on our economy. But in the midst of the challenges, we are hearing some of the ways God is blessing churches. Here are ten of them.

The pandemic is evil. The God we serve is using this time for His good and His glory.

https://thomrainer.com/2020/04/ten-pieces-of-good-news-we-are-hearing-from-churches-during-the-pandemic/

Josh Bevin  Pastor, Lighthouse Baptist Church Xenia, OH

Pastor Josh Bevin preaching from 2 Timothy chapter 3.  

Eric Doucet  Pastor,  Texas Avenue Baptist Church

Esther 4:14 (KJV) For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

BY GOD’S DESIGN

Crises, tribulations, difficulties, hard times, plagues, pestilences, persecutions…these are not new words. They have been part of the human vocabulary since sin entered the world. In addition, sin invited death and other miseries to the party, which resulted in the adversity, affliction, and suffering humans have experienced since Adam and Eve’s sin against God in the Garden.

Yet, we are alive at this time, during this pandemic, facing these difficulties, in our respective communities. That is no accident. It is not by chance we are alive today. We are alive today, living in these communities and with members of our churches because of the sovereignty of God. We could have been born at any other time and in any other country, but God chose this day, this hour, and this place for us. We have been selected by God “for such a time as this.”

Not only have we been selected by God, we have been equipped by God “for such a time as this.” Who else but the church of Jesus Christ is equipped to provide real help and real hope during these times? Who else but the church of Jesus Christ is equipped with a message that can provide peace that passes all understanding? Who else but the church of Jesus Christ is prepared to give their lives, if necessary, in the service of others? God has equipped His church “for such a time as this.”

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

Church, according to Jesus, we are the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14–16 (KJV) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus didn’t light us to hide us, but to enable us to give light to those around us. Jesus put us in a unique position (like a candle on a lampstand) to provide light for those around us. We are here for such a time as this, for this dark hour in man’s history, to let our light shine bright before men so God can be glorified.

STAY ON MISSION

This pandemic (with the resulting shelter-in-place orders) has the potential to cause us to focus only on our situation, our health, our food supplies, etc. Yet, the Lord’s command to let our light shine before men compels us to stay focused on others. Moreover, Jesus didn’t rescind, revoke, or repeal the Great Commandment (Matt 22:36-40) or the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) due to COVID-19.

The reason for this message is to encourage churches to stay on mission; to encourage us to move on from the initial shock and confusion of the last couple of weeks and be proactive in our response to this crisis. Let’s remember we serve a risen Savior, the Son of God, the One who conquered sin and death for us. Let’s remember our risen Savior lives in and empowers His church to do His will. Let’s be bold and let’s be courageous in our response to this crisis. Let’s be the church of Jesus Christ!

pastor@texasavenue.org

Alan Bean  Author, Baptist News Global

The following article appeared on Baptist News Global. It clearly shows the unbiblical thinking that is becoming more dominate in the churches of America today.

Do you believe in hell? If so, you’ve got a lot of company.

A poll by the Pew Research Center found that 82 percent of evangelical Christians (regardless of race) believe in hell. Catholics (63 percent) were a bit less likely to fear eternal conscious torment, but even among mainline Protestants (60 percent) it remains the majority view. Since mainline Protestants rarely if ever mention eternal damnation from the pulpit or in denominational curricula, one wonders why “infernalism” (the technical term) remains so strong among the faithful.

To read the entire article click the following link.

https://baptistnews.com/article/heaven-or-hell-theology-may-be-simple-but-it-is-neither-biblical-nor-morally-defensible-whats-the-alternative/#.XmQXEW5FyUk

Erick Sanders  Pastor, Bible Baptist Church, Everett, Washington

The first case of the virus in America was diagnosed when a 35-year-old man on January 19, 2020, entered the emergency room at Providence Hospital in the town were I live and serve. I have ministered dozens of times in that ER over the years.  At that point, there was little concern for public safety and future spread of the virus. However, approximately a month later just 15 miles from our church’s doorstep there were several new cases at the “Life Care Center,” a nursing home southeast of us. I remember hearing the news and getting a lump in my throat. 

As the cases began to accumulate in our state, I was faced with some tough decisions: Do we assemble, or do we stay home? Do we take everything online, or do we simply offer key services and cancel others? Do we go ahead with our Missions Conference that was scheduled for March 13-15? At this point there were not many churches and ministries thinking about these issues.  We were in new territory and I found it overwhelming and extremely difficult to navigate. 

On Sunday, March 8th, we only met for morning worship at 11am.  That Wednesday I received a call from one of our members sharing that he tested positive for Covid-19.  To complicate the situation, his wife worked in toddler nursery that previous Sunday.  My mind began to race: what if she was infected and had now spread the virus to our toddlers!  What if the new epicenter becomes Bible Baptist Church! 

We had a positive case in our church, church families could possibly be exposed, and our Missions Conference was due to begin on March 13.  With all of these situations swirling, decisions needed to be made. 

So, let me share with you the journey of my decision-making process, so that, if you face similar issues, you can learn from my mistakes and successes.

1.      Seek the Lord

I know I am running the risk of sounding cliché. However, it is cliché for a reason…. prayer should be the first activity before any other planning or preparation. Prayer is the preparation for the path ahead.

2.      Seek wise counsel.

In our situation, I reached out to the following people: A lead doctor in our church, a police officer, and a good friend that is on the Snohomish County Emergency Task Force.  I presented them with the options I was praying through and they gave the pros and cons of each decision.  This step was invaluable, so don’t skip it.  These men gave insight and knowledge I didn’t possess.  

3.      Model biblical submission.

When I needed to make decisions about meeting or not, there was a lot of chatter from pastors about the government “interfering” in religious freedoms. I chose a different take.  I wanted to use this time to help our church understand biblical submission to authority whether those authorities were civil, spiritual, or familial.

4.      Do what is best for YOUR church.

We must be careful in looking at what every other church is doing, and not give consideration to the people God has called us to pastor.

5.      Genuinely care for your church family.

I believe we must be careful that in the frenzy of reformatting we don’t miss the mark.  Ministry is about people not programs. Ministry is about lives not livestream.  Going back to the man in our church that is diagnosed with the virus, at that time he was scared, worried, and in need of hope.  In those moments, we must choose human hearts over virtual views.

God has given us a unique opportunity to minister. Let me encourage you to pray, serve and sacrifice for souls in this great time of need.  Our world is looking for hope… we have it, so let’s share it!

eriksanders@biblebaptistchurch.net

Tracy Roby  Pastor, Overland Park Baptist Temple

Throughout the entire span of our ministry it has been about people. To suddenly find ourselves isolated from our congregations is heartbreaking. Together we are all trying to adjust to the new norm. For many of us, livestreaming was a brand new experience. My goal was simply that the Sunday morning video of our service wouldn’t look like an Islamic extremist hostage video. I spent much of the weekend looking at different church services across the nation and some of us succeeded and some didn’t!

Personally, I wasn’t too excited to change our format. I liked the way things were. I enjoyed our comfortable building and meeting with “our people.” I was comfortable and things were going great. “Don’t mess that up.” I couldn’t believe the changes that suddenly we were all forced to accept and adapt to. It seemed like our freedoms were being taken away. At this point, you might be thinking, “I thought this was a word of encouragement?” Well hold on…

One thing we all succeeded at last Sunday was getting the gospel out in mass form like never before. We had people tune in online that haven’t come to our church in years. Our people were “sharing” our service to all of their friends, and before we knew it people were watching from all around the country. Multiply that by all the missionaries and pastors that did the same thing online and suddenly the gospel is being spread in an unprecedented way. Way to go God! The gospel is being spread to the ends of the world in these last days. All because God forced us to get out of our comfortable buildings.

Acts 1:8 is a command that we all know was given to the early church and applies to us today. However, when you begin to read the book of Acts the early church really wasn’t succeeding in the fulfillment of that command. They were doing a great job in Jerusalem, but that wasn’t the mission. The goal was the uttermost parts of the world. Then persecution came (Acts 1:8) and they were scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. It took persecution to get the church back on track.

Perhaps we had become too comfortable in our Jerusalem. “Let’s send a little something to help them remember the command” – and in one Sunday it happened! The gospel goes to the world through social media like never before. For a few moments Christians stopped sharing “politics” on Facebook and shared the gospel. Let’s share the good news and encourage our congregations to share their media this Sunday. This is a wonderful opportunity the Lord has provided for all of us. May the Lord bless you as you minister to the world in a brand new way.

Thom Rainer Founder and CEO of Church Answers

I have pretty clear memories of my first visit to a cafeteria. I was five years old, and my parents wanted our family to experience a Morrison’s Cafeteria in Montgomery, Alabama.

It was amazing. I saw untold numbers of dishes of meats, vegetables, salads, fruits and, of course, desserts. I had never seen anything like it. Mom and Dad had already given my brother and me strict instructions on how much we could choose. But, for a small-town kid who had never seen such a feast, I was amazed.

The concept was basic. If you paid your money, you could choose whatever you wanted. Your preferences were paramount. It was all about you.

It sounds like some churches we know.

Though we don’t have the numbers of cafeterias we once had, the lessons are instructive. Simply stated, your church is not a cafeteria. Here are seven differences.

1. In a cafeteria, you pay for your preferences. In a church, you should give abundantly and joyfully without expecting anything in return. If you ever hear someone say, “We pay the bills in this church,” you know they act like the church is a cafeteria.

2. In a cafeteria, the focus is on you. In a church, the focus should be on God first and then others. If you ever hear someone say, “I’m not getting fed in this church,” you know they act like the church is a cafeteria.

3. In a cafeteria, you demand to have things your way. In a church, you should sacrifice your own needs for others. If you ever hear someone say, “I want the order of service to be like it’s always been,” you know they act like the church is a cafeteria.

4. In a cafeteria, the business must continue to make things more appealing and attractive for you to return. In a church, you should not expect to be entertained to get you to come back. If you ever hear someone say, “I’m going to a church where the music is more exciting,” you know they act like the church is a cafeteria.

5. In a cafeteria, if the customer does not get his or her way, the business must make every effort to address and remedy his or her complaint. In a church, we should be so busy doing for others and serving Christ that we don’t have time or the desire to whine or complain. If you ever hear someone say, “People are saying . . .”, you know they act like the church is a cafeteria.

6. In a cafeteria, you have a full staff serving you behind the glass partitions, indulging your every desire. In a church, you should not expect the staff to do all or most of the ministry or service; instead, the members are to do the work of ministry. If you ever hear someone saying, “Pastor, you should . . .”, you know they act like the church is a cafeteria.

7. In a cafeteria, you will likely complain to others in person or on social media if you are not fully satisfied. In a church, you should not have a gossiping or complaining spirit; instead, you should be building others up. If you ever see someone complain about their church on social media, you know they act like the church is a cafeteria.

Cafeterias were fun when I was a kid. But Morrison’s went out of business and the pieces were picked up by Piccadilly Cafeterias. And Piccadilly declared bankruptcy in 2012.

The big cafeteria chains have not fared well. And neither will churches if they keep acting like cafeterias.

https://thomrainer.com/2020/02/seven-differences-between-your-church-and-a-cafeteria/

Kevin Kolb  Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, St. Charles, MO

I’ve often been asked, “why does our church emphasize and provide biblical counseling?” And given the current demand on a pastor’s time, “why do I counsel people?” I love helping fellow pastors think through these questions.

Remember back to your teen years when the church youth group would take its annual float trip. There would inevitably be some unlucky pair who made the river a very dangerous place. They would fall into the water before they even had their life jackets on. They had no experience in a canoe, much less on a river. Halfway down the float they were bloodied, bruised, and hopelessly exhausted. They were discouraged, frustrated and would quit if they could find a way out. It was at that moment a youth counselor would navigate alongside and help them out of the current. In a safe place he would explain the process of steering a canoe, let them practice the strokes and might even put someone in the canoe with them for a while to guide them. He would stay close to them through the rough stretches. He essentially guided them home. That is what loving biblical counselors do.

Biblical counseling is coming alongside someone who is suffering due to sin, listening carefully in order to discern the problem, then using the Word of God to help the person change for the glory of God and the benefit of the counselee.

We should counsel members of our church who are affected by sin because restoring fallen and struggling members is consistent with Christ’s current work in His church. Ephesians 5:25-27 tells us that Christ gave himself for the church (referring to His death and resurrection) for the purpose of sanctifying and cleansing it (referring to our holiness and usefulness). The means for that cleansing is clear; we are changed by His Word. The beauty of Christ’s bride progressively develops one sanctified believer at a time. Pastors should see their role as that of a bridesmaid, assisting the bride as she prepares for her groom’s arrival.

No friend of the bride would ignore the stain on her gown, or let her walk down the aisle with her hair out of place. No loving youth pastor would ignore or make fun of discouraged young people flailing on a float trip. And no biblical pastor would ignore the anxious, depressed, fearful, or afflicted in their church.

Pastors should embrace the call to biblical counseling because Christ’s goal is lasting change in a person’s life, which is only accomplished through the sufficient scriptures and results in great glory.

kevin@gracebaptistchurch.info

Michael Hyatt, Founder and CEO of Michael Hyatt & Company

Sometimes you learn from positive role models. Often you learn from negative ones. This is one of the reasons I love to read history—you invariably see both.

Unfortunately, Lincoln’s leadership was not perfect. He occasionally selected men for public service who were unworthy of his trust. One such individual was Gen. George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac and, eventually, first general-in-chief of the Union Army.

McClellan had significant character flaws that can serve as warning signs to anyone in leadership. Ultimately, these cost him dearly: He lost Lincoln’s confidence, his job, and a run for the White House (against Lincoln). Worse, his missteps prolonged the Civil War and cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

I want to share five flaws I noted in McClellan as I read Goodwin’s book. These characteristics practically define what it means to be a weak leader. And the list doubles as a convenient self-evaluation tool if you want to avoid becoming one.

Read More by clicking link below

https://michaelhyatt.com/5-characteristics-of-weak-leaders/

About Michael

Lewis McClendon, Baptist Church Ministry Network

It’s one thing to know the right answers to political and social questions, and another thing to have the mind of Christ. In this message, Dr. Melton doesn’t “preach to the choir” about all of wrong thinking in our world. He called us as Biblical, Balanced, Baptists to have the mind of Christ. Enjoy this video of a sermon from Dr. David Melton from the meeting this past October in Canton.